drilling out a MP

jtuba · Post by **jtuba** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:48 am

That big would probably ruin the mouthpiece. Baby steps, padawan.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:36 am

Be sure that it is something you can afford to lose. When I was in school I did that to a Bach 18 (which were falling off trees then).

Note: the only way you find out how much is too far is by going too far. Then I just got another and backed up a drill or two. Same for the cup and backbore. Then I measured it, and got a REAL mouthpiece that size.

With all the mouthpieces available, and the pitfalls that await, just TRY something close and see for yourself. Then you don't have to ruin anything, either way.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:58 am

I agree with the baby steps notion, the smallest drill bit that will not fit through is a good rule of thumb.

Another consideration is that the Alan Baer MP is not brass, it's stainless steel. Be sure you use an appropriate drill bit.

And, you really ought to have a drill press and some method of holding the mouthpiece so that the hole is straight. (Not as easy as you think.)

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:17 pm

Cowboy BOB wrote:Thanks guy's point taken...i do have the right tools to measure and such
I'm prob gonna use my ole Bridgeport mill from the 50's,It's still in good shape i can drill accuratly to about a 10th of a thousandth.

In the interest of a nice smooth round hole, you might want to use a straight reamer. An adjustable one might be the cat's pajamas for this job.

Alex C · Post by **Alex C** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:40 pm

Cowboy BOB wrote:I've got a great Alan baer GW,CC mp the only thing i don't like bout it is the throat is a kinda on the small side.So i was thinking bout drilling it out the be about the same size as the end of the shank...i'm only wondering if this will affect the sound for better or worse,or just to get more air through it.

Nobody can tell you if it will improve the mouthpiece or not but you can bet that it will ruin any chance of a good price at resale if you don't like the results.

Bandmaster · Post by **Bandmaster** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:35 pm

Remember that the bore through the shank is supposed to be tappered. The venturi is the opening at the botom of the funnel or bowl and it tappers from there to the end of the shank. To open up the shank properly you would need a lathe. If you drill it out to the diameter at the end of the shank it will be WAY too large and become a nice paper weight. The largest venturi that I have seen listed for any mouthpiece is 0.339 inches so I would not try drilling it any bigger than that. But I would personally never try it on a $165 mouthpiece.

I would send it back to G & W and ask them to do it for me. I can't afford $165 paper weights....

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 1:01 am

You sound like you're pretty handy with machine tools.

How about this:

Why not machine (bore out and tap) one for an insert? That way, you could have variously-sized throats to experiment with.

Just a thought...

Ivan Giddings · Post by **Ivan Giddings** » Sun Mar 19, 2006 3:39 pm

I do have some interesting information about the Alan Baer mouthpiece and making the throat larger. We have done a lot of testing on the throats of the all of our mouthpieces, and with the Alan Baer signature model we have been very deliberate and taken many steps. .

We have changed the throat sizes in the following dimensions
.316, .318, .320, .321, .323, .325, .327, .328, .329, .332

Additionally we changed the shank length at least three times, and We changed the venture contours (something a drill canâ€™t do) at least 4 times

We experimented with cup depths that varied between the Diablo and Caver cup depth. The Alan Baer piece is about right smack between the cup depth of these two mouthpieces. However we moved in progressive steps from the Diablo depth to the Caver depth in .020 increments This resulted in at least 4 or 5 prototypes before we found the cup depth that works Best.

All of the above worked in various different combinations, however the current combination really is fun to play. In my own personal experimentation I would never recommend drilling out a mouthpiece. This really messes with the venturi. The approach to the venturi (the mouth of the throat) and the exit from the venture into the backbore. The air speeds are much higher in the venturi than a lot of folks would believe, and even tiny little .001 size changed that is not tangent with the other radiuses, angles, and overall design will drastically change how a mouthpiece plays. Most of the time this is bad!!!!

What I would experiment with first would be the overall length of the gap from the end of the mouthpiece to the end of the leadpipe. This can be changed by putting some tape around the shank of the mouthpiece (one or two layers of clear tape is plenty) and see how this affects the playability of the mouthpiece in a specific horn.

If this worked out I would seriously consider making a mouthpiece shorter in .010 increments till you were happy with the response. Changing the length of a mouthpiece will change response without ruining the throat contours by drilling it out.

I hope this helps

Ivan

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drilling out a MP

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